Friday, 10 January 2014

It's just The Oxon Feather Chatting Again.

My intended plan to to look at the flooded fields in the Stanford area took on a change when after several sites of seeing only LB-B Gulls and B-Headed Gulls I headed for Baulking Fullers Earth Pit looking for a bit more interest.
Parking on the rather squelching saturated road verge and passing through several kissing gates I viewed the, now at capacity pit, and noticed the usual gradual movement of water birds as they moved away from me to the far side, quite often there are dog walkers and the birds carry out this procedure each time and when there are several doggers the birds end up in the centre. A pair of Widgeon, Thirty Tufted and a pair of Great Crested Grebe along with the usual Coots and Mallard, in truth I didn't spend long looking at the duck flocks as I had now made up my mind to motor on to the ridge way and have a look at what was about up there. As I made my way back to the car A flock of a dozen Fieldfare were seen and a beautiful Green Woodpecker gave me a camera opportunity as it climbed a large willow.
Parking on the Ridgeway and walking eastwards to the rear of White Horse Hill A pretty good sighting was a small flock of twelve Corn Bunting in the hedgerow. When I reached the rear of WHHill I took the bridleway leading south and walked in the very cold wind toward Lambourn eventually reaching the Gallops used by the Lambourne Racehorse Trainers to exercise and trial their charges. It was rather bleak and and all I noted was a Red Kite, one Skylark and two Long-Tailed Tits. I retraced my steps gaining the familiar Ridgeway trail and had the great pleasure of seeing and photographing the wintering pair of Stonechats and a Kestrel that I watched hover and then drop on to an item of prey. Other birds I recall seeing today were two Jenny Wrens,twenty Linnets, five Kestrel six Red Kite and one Buzzard.
The Oxon Feather.

oxon feather

About Me

OXON FEATHER is a personal mainly birding blog, from a birder who is not a great twitcher as my identification skills leave a lot to be desired, and my real interest lies in the birds we used to be able to take for granted but now need our help, including many farmland species, among the birds I have on my help list are : Turtle Dove, Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker,Spotted Flycatcher, Nightingale, Tree Sparrow, Willow Tit and Grey Partridge to name just a few. I retired from farming about 2004 and retain many farming contacts some of them rather sensitive to strangers, so if I am sometimes unable to name sites I hope you will understand, as my priorities are the welfare of the birds and to respect the confidence placed in me by my contacts. I lost the love of my life Linda Mary (Linner)16/01/2012 and i'm strugglig to come to terms after being devoted to each other for 43 years of marriage. In time I hoped my loss would get easier but if anything I miss her more and more with each passing day - My sweet caring Linner.